Jack Strong and the Red Giant

Chapter 37: New Horizons

Death.

Jack had never experienced this before – at least not with any one close. It was something dark and vague that happened to other people. Both sets of his grandparents had died before he was born and all his other relations were still alive. Once a young girl at his school had been knocked over and killed by a car but he didn't really know her so he hadn't really been affected by it. But now he had.

Grunt's death hit him like a battering ram. He pressed Padget again for the details, still not understanding. "Tell me what happened again, are you sure there's no mistake?"

"I'm sorry Jack; I saw them shoot him right before my eyes. There was blood everywhere."

"But why? I... I... don't understand. He was harmless, gentle... He never did anything to anyone... He knew nothing."

"Perhaps it was because he couldn't speak," said Padget. "He couldn't tell them anything so Xylem had him shot. It happened during the takeover of the ship."

"Oh yeah," said Jack. "And what were you doing whilst they got rid of him, stuffing your face like usual?"

"No... no, I tried. They tortured me for days... I'm sorry Jack, but..."

"It's not Padget's fault," said Vyleria, placing a hand upon his shoulder. Her voice was soft, calm, comforting. Jack immediately felt all his anger and frustration evaporate. "It was Xylem's and his alone. He was the one that killed him, not Padget."

Vyleria was right, he knew it. He had to face facts; however hard and brutal it seemed. "Yes, you're right," he said, looking into her red, watery eyes. "It's just that he was my first friend here and I guess I felt responsible for him. I wasn't there when he died and I should have been. I let him down, Vyleria. If I hadn't gone out in that spaceship, I would have been able to stop Xylem."

"If you hadn't come after me, you mean?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I... oh, I don't know what I mean. I just want him back, Vyleria. I miss him."

"I know you miss him. I miss him too. It's sad, it's horrible, it's unfair, but you have to accept it Jack and try to move on."

"But shouldn't we at least go back and make them pay for what they did to him? It would be worth it just to find his body and give him a decent burial."

"Jack," said Vyleria, putting her hand on his shoulder once again, "it's not worth the risk. I know that sounds cold and detached but if we go back there we risk coming under attack or worse being captured again."

"I don't care!" said Jack. "We can take them. Our ship is unstoppable. We have so many weapons... more than they have... they wouldn't stand a chance... they..."

"We don't know that for sure," said Vyleria, her hand still on his shoulder. "We don't know anything about their ship's weapons or defences to make an accurate comparison. They could be a lot stronger than us or a lot weaker. It's a lottery really, and for the sake of revenge it's not really worth it."

Vyleria was right. He knew it. Grunt was dead and there was nothing that he could do about it. Even if they went back and tried to retrieve his body it would only result in more deaths and he didn't want anyone else to die on account of Xylem.

"Yes, you're right," he said to Vyleria and Padget, putting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry for shouting at you both. I was just so upset about Grunt."

"That's why we didn't tell you on the planet," said Vyleria, sitting next to Jack as she put her arm around him. "I knew how upset you'd be and I couldn't be certain he was dead until I saw the tapes of the incident."